Separation Wall

A Psychological Siege

Carol Schachet — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:26:57 +0000

Israel's siege on Gaza, now in its 19th month, has wreaked havoc on all aspects of life and significant attention has been paid in particular to the economic consequences of border closures and the blockade. However, an overlooked epidemic threatens the social and familial ties that bond the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza. Living under a constant state of crisis in which their livelihoods have been denied, the people of Gaza's once exemplary resilience and determination are giving way to an unfathomable sea of depression and psychological illnesses.

Time for a New “New Deal” on Human Rights

Salena Tramel — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 22:57:35 +0000

Sixty years after the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we at Grassroots International recognize that more often than not the reality has failed the vision put forth in that document. Our commitment to defending land, water, and food as the most basic of human rights is reflected throughout the 30-article treaty. Globally, people in all corners of the world currently experience a quadruple crisis that includes food, finance, energy, and the environment. From Latin America to the Middle East, our partners and allies are facing serious threats to their lives and livelihoods. Policies and actions of governments and corporations represent the grave violations of the core principles of the treat

In Search of a Just Peace in Israel-Palestine: A View from the Ground

Jake Miller — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 19:49:52 +0000

Thursday October 25, 2007

5:30 - 7 PM
Open fundraiser/reception for Jeff Halper
Coordinating Director
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)

($25 suggested contribution)

To be followed by:

Thursday October 25, 2007 7 - 9 PM
"In Search of a Just Peace in Israel-Palestine: A View from the Ground"
(free, donations encouraged)

Both events will take place at:
Workmen's Circle
1762 Beacon St Brookline, MA

Sponsored by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP)-Boston
Workmen's Circle Middle East Working Group
and Grassroots International

The Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel: Issues of Justice and Equality

Jake Miller — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 12:53:53 +0000

Grassroots is pleased to cosponsor the Friends of Sabeel - North America conference on "The Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel: Issues of Justice and Equality" in the spirit of open dialogue and in the furtherance of peace with justice.

October 26 – 27, 2007
Old South Church, 645 Boylston St., Boston

Friday—2:30 PM—10:00 PM
Saturday—8:00 AM—4:30 PM

Keynote Address: Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Panelists:
Naim Ateek * Anat Biletzki * Diana Buttu * Noam Chomsky
John Dugard * Farid Esack * Noura Erekat * Jeff Halper
Donald Wagner * David Wildman

Other Participants:
Phyllis Bennis * Joan M. Martin
Nancy Murray * Bishop Thomas Shaw

Bittersweet Victory for Anti-Wall Protestors in West Bank

Jake Miller — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 15:13:33 +0000

The BBC reports that, "Israel's supreme court has ordered the government to redraw the route of the West Bank barrier near Bilin village, a key focus of anti-barrier protest."

The Separation Wall is often used as a tool to destroy Palestinian villages, separating farmers from the fields that surround their communities, shutting producers off from local markets and depriving communities of access to traditional sources of water.

The Road to a Just Peace in the Middle East goes through Washington

Nikhil Aziz — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:18:13 +0000

More than 5000 people rallied on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, June 10th to call for an end to the 40 year Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. They represented over 300 organizations from around the country including Grassroots International—Grassroots’ Executive Director Nikhil Aziz participated in the rally. The organizations ranged from faith-based groups and labor unions to civil rights, students’, women’s and lesbian and gay groups. They demanded that the U.S. government act to bring about a lasting and just peace and an end to the occupation and conflict.

Borders, Walls and Other Barriers: Farmers and Farmworkers from Palestine and North America Meet

Corrina Steward — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:00:00 +0000

Democracy: In Which You Say What We Want and Do What You're Told (With Apologies to Dave Barry)

Nikhil Aziz — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:34:00 +0000

A recent World Bank report observed that the Palestinian economy was in the throes of "one of the deepest recessions in modern history exceeding the scale of economic losses suffered by the U.S. in the Great Depression, or Argentina during the recent financial collapse." More than one out of three available labor force participants are unemployed. And to keep pace with the expanding available labor force, 30,000 new jobs would have to be created each year. The highest percentage of unemployment is concentrated among youth: 37.2% among 15-19 year olds and 36.3% among 20-24 year olds.

Quiet Resistance in Palestine

Jennifer Lemire — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 09:18:00 +0000

[Editor's note: Nikhil Aziz and Jennifer Lemire have been in Palestine for the last week. We are very excited to bring you their reports from the Occupied Territories.]

For Palestinians living under Israeli Occupation, each day is an act of resistance. Each day that Palestinian men, women and children stand in line at the Qalandia Checkpoint waiting for Israeli permission to pass, each day that Wafa has to remind her daughter to conserve water because there might not be enough to last the week, each day that Ya'cub passes buildings in Jerusalem that before 1948 used to belong to his family, each day that Khaled works with farmers in Hebron to build cisterns to collect precious rainwater, each day that Jamal meets with families struggling to stay on their land in Salfit as the Separation Wall casts shadows on their homes, each day that Hasan helps organize Palestinian laborers working in the informal sector of the economy, each day that Samia walks to the fields just outsider her village to harvest zataar and lettuce from her garden. Each of these small acts is one of quiet resistance.

Upcoming Disengagement, Ongoing Occupation

Jennifer Lemire — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 18:20:00 +0000

With much of the World's attention focused on the Gaza Strip and the impending Israeli disengagement, slated to begin Monday, Israel is quietly continuing its occupation of the West Bank.

Most of our partners, while not unhappy to see the settlers go, question how "disengaged" Israel can really be when they will continue to control all of their borders, land and sea, and even the airspace around Gaza. Most also fear that the disengagement from Gaza will be at the expense of the West Bank.